Hyderabad: Fervent plea to government to abolish smoking rooms

Jubilee Hills: On the eve of No Smoking Day, doctors, cancer victims and restaurateurs urged the government to remove designated smoking rooms at public places like hotels, restaurants and airports to protect people from second-hand smoke.

While appreciating the government for initiating the process to amend the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act(COTPA ) 2003, they appealed for immediate removal of the current provision that permits smoking areas to make India 100 percent smoke free and check the spread of COVID 19 infection in India.

"There is growing evidence that smoking is a risk for Covid infection. Smoking worsens lung function and reduces immunity. Smokers who develop Covid infection have more complications and greater risk of fatality. All designated smoking areas in hotels and restaurants and even airports should be abolished to ensure a 100 per cent smoke free environment," said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Head Neck Cancer Surgeon.

"Exposure to passive smoking happens in eateries specifically hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs, puts at risklives of thousands of non-smokers. As cigarette smoke seeps from smoking areas to common areas, COTPA act needs to be amended not to permit smoking in any premises. All places should be completely smoke free in the best interest of the public health," appeals Nalini Satyanarayan, a passive smoking victim and health activist.

"I applaud the Government of India for starting the amendment process of tobacco control law, COTPA 2003, as this is an important step towards improving public health. There is an urgent need to strengthen the provisions for making India 100 percent smoke free and protect millions of Indians from tobacco related diseases and deaths" said Dr K Sreekanth, Senior Consultant Surgical Oncologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Somajiguda.